No state, federal money for Worcester's tornado cleanup

Tuesday

Sep 2, 2014 at 2:04 PMSep 2, 2014 at 8:50 PM

By Scott J. Croteau TELEGRAM & GAZETTE STAFF

WORCESTER — No state or federal funding will be coming to the city for the cleanup of the Sunday night tornado that caused damage in the Vernon and Union Hill areas. State officials said the EF-0 tornado didn't cause the type of destruction that merits federal funding.

“Our people have been speaking with Worcester officials since Sunday night,” Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency spokesman Peter Judge said. “It doesn't appear there is going to be any eligibility.”

For an incident to reach the level of a federal disaster there has to be close to $10 million in damage, Mr. Judge said. Although an estimate of damage hasn't yet been calculated, it appears Worcester won't reach that plateau. Much of the city's cost is associated with tree-clearing by city crews.

The city's Department of Public Works and Parks Forestry teams were sent out Sunday in the area and continued working throughout Monday. As of Tuesday, all of the trees knocked down by the storm were cut, and debris still needed to be removed. A visit to the affected areas Tuesday was a stark contrast to the scene in the immediate aftermath of the storm.

More work will be done in the area this week. Also all those who lost power saw it restored by 10:15 p.m. Monday.

“The total costs of the cleanup won't be known until the work is all done,” city spokesman John F. Hill said in a message to the Telegram & Gazette. “City officials have worked with MEMA about state and federal reimbursement, but at this point it looks unlikely that the costs will reach the threshold for state or federal help.”

City officials said the area was fortunate. Only a few residents saw damage to their vehicles and there were no significant injuries to people or severe damage to homes.

Tara Fawe, an account executive for personal insurance at Braley &Wellington Insurance Group on Park Avenue, said damage to vehicles caused by natural events such as hail, tornadoes or hurricanes would have to carry comprehensive coverage to be covered.

Officials at Worcester Academy are looking into if whether insurance will cover damage to their turf athletic field, known as Morse Field.

Neil R. Isakson, spokesman for Worcester Academy, said a heavy soccer goal went flying during the tornado. Posts holding up netting on the edge of the field also snapped off at the base.

Parts of the turf field were pulled up and torn. Tree limbs punctured parts of the field. It shouldn't hinder any games being played on the field since school starts next week. A cost estimate for fixing the field hasn't been calculated yet, he said.

“We have met with the contractors for the field so we can look at the best way to repair it,” he said.

Several residents said they didn't receive warning about the tornado before it was already hitting the area. A meteorologist for the National Weather Service in Taunton said the lag in the warning is associated with the radar.

The National Weather Service's radar scans every four to five minutes. The tornado touched down in between the scanning window. Once meteorologists saw the activity, a warning was issued, said Stephanie Dunten, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Taunton.

Contact Scott J. Croteau at scott.croteau@telegram.com. Follow him on Twitter at ScottCroteauTG.